In celebration of Women’s Day 2022, WILDTRUST, through their Ocean Alive Project based in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park invited women from in and around the Marine Protected Area to their 3 Community Resource Hubs to discuss several topics that affect the women of Northern Zululand. Two hubs were launched late last year as valuable spaces for communities, namely Mabibi and … [Read more...]
Grow a mountain of legumes in your garden
Legumes are a cheap form of protein, albeit not a complete protein; they don’t have all the essential amino acids that our tissues absolutely demand to build strong minds and bodies. A deficiency causes stunting and, in its more severe form, Kwashiorkor. They cost a fraction of the price of meat, dairy products and eggs; and arguably are more healthy though that is contested … [Read more...]
Winter Wonders Special comes to Kirstenbosch
From 25 June to 18 July, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is holding its annual Winter Wonders Special where children 17 years and younger receive free entry into Kirstenbosch. A #mywinterwonders competition will add even more excitement to the winter school holiday. Winter at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden offers the most sensational views and natural … [Read more...]
First successful rooting of Yellow Peeling Plain Tree
2022 has been an incredible year for SANBI and conservation horticulturist and tree expert Mpendulo Gabayi from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Mpho Mathalauga (horticulturist) from KwaZulu-Natal National Botanical Garden, and Ntsakisi Masia (seed collector - Millennium Seed Bank Partnership) from Thohoyandou National Botanical Garden as they were triumphant in their … [Read more...]
Underground reservoir harvests and stores rainwater
According to the United Nations, with the world’s population expected to top nine billion people by 2050, the world is going to need at least 55% more water. And not just water; clean water. In most people’s minds that would mean building more dams, such as on the Umkomazi River in KZN which at this time is largely untapped. However, worldwide there are very few new large … [Read more...]
Seeking San wisdom in the Namib desert
Internationally renowned Corona Studios has launched in South Africa with the premier of its first locally produced film, Between San and Insanity, in an oasis-themed outdoor cinema and desert bar set on Nelson Mandela Square (on Thursday, March 10th), complete with five tons of sand and Khoi and San art. The release of Between San and Insanity announced the arrival of … [Read more...]
Rethinking the concept of weeds in your garden
Claude Lévi-Strauss, the French Anthropologist, was not known as a gardener. His claim to fame was the concept that the logic of cultural archetypes and myths (our world view) were structured around binary oppositions such as raw vs. cooked, edible vs. inedible, and, in Trumpian America, truth vs. alternative facts (better known as lies). “The gardener’s framework revolves … [Read more...]
A gift that gives back to a rare SA forest
Astonishingly, only 0.5% of land in South Africa is forested. And within this, our increasingly rare mistbelt forests occupy an even tinier fraction. On the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal lies one such special place. Ferncliffe. It is the precious remnant of a biome that originally stretched over 2000 hectares. In a largely dry country, Ferncliffe is blessed … [Read more...]
The importance of good gardening practices
“While the impact of climate change is more visible than ever, decisions to limit carbon emissions at COP26 have, yet again, been neutered by the leaders of large carbon emitting countries,” says Gavin Heron, founder of Earth Probiotic. Lead by India, China and South Africa, disappointingly, changed a stronger “phasing out of coal" commitment to a weaker "phasing down of … [Read more...]
Connecting home to nature at the heart of true wellness
Today’s architecture takes its cues from nature. And rightfully so. It’s the underlying ethos of many new North Coast residential estates where developers have rehabilitated land once used for sugar cane farming or now overcome with alien vegetation. This architectural vision mimics natural shapes and forms, makes use of natural materials, and integrates design features that … [Read more...]
Recycle and reuse your trash for a cleaner environment
According to the EPA, the average person produces approximately 4.9 pounds of “solid waste” or trash per day. Thankfully, you can recycle many everyday household items to help promote a cleaner, greener environment. Recycling and reusing items can help each individual to produce less trash that goes into landfills, ultimately harming our soil, air, and water. We’ve come … [Read more...]
Bringing nature back to KwaNobhule
Greening the Community is a collaborative project between Indalo Nursery, Community Conservation Fund Africa and the Wilderness Foundation Africa. It aims to bring nature back to the KwaNobhule township but also to encourage residents to green the space in which they live, their community and ultimately their country and planet. The pivot behind the project is John … [Read more...]
Only 12 years to avert 2 degrees of global warming
Only half a degree warmer would result in double the severity of the consequences to this planet. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was released on 8th October. It focuses on the differences between a 1.5- and 2-degree global warming future climate scenario. The main points of the report, based on 6000 scientific papers and approved by all … [Read more...]
